Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Publisher:  Disney Hyperion
Publishing Date: December 10th 2014

Pages: 374
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi- Space Opera/Adventure

Series: Starbound #1
Source: Audio

  

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

This was a pretty awesome book. The cover alone drew me in. I think that this was one of my favorite covers last year. I think it’s just gorgeous. I love sci fi and its good to get some more sci- fi in the mix of YA books that isn’t dystopian. Good old science fiction with lots of drama, adventure, and romance. Yup it was good stuff. This book stood out for the genre for me. I know there isn’t much out there along these lines in YA, but there are a few and this one was one of the best for me. I liked the characters, OK I LOVED the characters. A couple of long lasting favorites for me. The story was quite unique too. I didn’t really know where it was headed, but it once it got there, it was the right direction. A Very Awesome Read.

Lilac is the daughter of a very rich man, a very overprotective man. Tarver is a military hero, but he is from a family of no money. Lilac and Tarver are on a ship together. He starts to break down, Tarver and Lilac escape pod and crash into a new planet. A planet that looks terraformed by the government but has no life living among the planet.  Together Tarver and Lilac trek across the planet to get to the crash site of the main ship and try to survive on the way. Strange things start to happen to Lilac, hearing things, seeing things, knowing things she shouldn’t. Soon it becomes clear that there is no other survivors and they must find a way to call for help. The only problem is something or someone is standing in their way.

I really really enjoyed this book. I absolutely adored the main characters. More than most books. I didn’t just connect to them, they became part of my family. Tarver is a real hottie, heroic, brave, manly, stubborn, caring, smart, a real survivor, oh and hot. Yes that deserves to be in there twice. He is a dreamboat and I fell for him. Doesn’t happen often for me but it did for Tarver. I would follow him anywhere I believe. Lilac was a spitfire for sure. She was independent, bossy, snarky, and just all together trouble but she was funny, determined, caring in her own way. She grew too, a lot from beginning to end. I liked her from the start and loved her in the end. The two were perfect together too.

The love story was a slow one but not really. It was slowly built but it was fast for the amount of time they spent together. Of course I believe that if I am stuck surviving a horrific traumatic accident with only one person and that person works hard to ensure my survival, I am going to fall pretty darn quick. So even though it was quick it didn’t seem quick because they were alone together for days on end. They started off flirtatious on the ship, then their feelings went from flirtatious to angry with each other before the crash, hatred of each other after the crash, tolerable of each other, caring for the other, liking another, then finally love. Their relationship had the full on emotional roller coaster ride. It was great to watch it change and grow into what it became in the end. It was clear where their relationship was headed but it was nice to see it develop instead of wham there it is.

The story was definitely a unique and intriguing. From the very start I didn’t know where the story was leading. I thought it was a story of love and survival but it was so much deeper than that. There was a mystery of the strange happenings throughout the entire book and wasn’t cleared up until the very end. I had no clue what was going on. I was anxious to know but because of the love story I was happy to get there slowly.

The pacing was excellent in this book. I am not one who usually enjoys a book with only two people throughout the entire book. I need more character interaction. I usually get bored with only one or two characters, especially with a story of survival. This story did not bore me. Even though it only had two characters. I was never left wanting for more, except when Tarver and Lilac were separated. Then I wanted more of them together again. I was thoroughly entertained by the characters and their interactions and fully enjoyed their adventure, survival tactics, and the mystery of the planet. 

The ending was just perfect. Even though this is a series, the story of Tarver and Lilac was completely resolved at the end and I was completely overjoyed with the ending.

More than expected kind of read. Can’t wait to read more.